Not many bands can achieve the milestone of 25 years together, but Simple Plan has, and they are commemorating it with a Prime Video documentary entitled Simple Plan: The Kids in the Crowd. The film, released on July 8, blends archival footage and interviews with band members Pierre Bouvier, Chuck Comeau, Sébastien Lefebvre, and Jeff Stinco. In it, the group reflects on the highs and lows of their long-term success. From playing in their parents’ basement at age 13 to touring all over the world with acts they grew up listening to (such as The Offspring and Blink-182), the band’s music became the soundtrack of a generation and continues to soar on social media. The revival of the pop-punk genre enabled them to reach a new audience with their early-aughts hit “I’m Just a Kid”, featured in numerous TikTok videos of celebrities and fans recreating pictures of their younger selves. It is in this spirit of celebration that Bouvier, Comeau, and Lefebvre spoke to Collider about their music doc and their upcoming tour. In our conversation with three of the four members of the band’s current lineup, they share how their dynamic remained the same even after their rise to fame, the joys of following their dreams alongside peers in the pop-punk scene like Avril Lavigne and Mark Hoppus, using their music and platform to address mental health, as well as tease their new single “Nothing Changes” (featured in the documentary’s soundtrack).
Simple Plan Is 25 Years Strong, But Chuck Comeau and Pierre Bouvier Go Way Back

“We’ve been playing together since we were 13 years old. And I don’t know if a lot of bands can say that.”

Image via Prime Video

Before Simple Plan was formed in 1999, Bouvier and Comeau played in a band together called Reset when they were just kids in Montreal. Their creative differences back in the day led Comeau to quit the band and wait two years before starting Simple Plan with Stinco and Lefebvre. Despite having the drums and guitars lined up, the group needed a frontman, and the only person Comeau could see filling that role was Bouvier. “We saw early on that maybe we needed each other to accomplish what we wanted to do,” the drummer says. Although their brother-like dynamic has remained the same, according to Comeau, what has changed since those Reset days is that the two have come to realize “how you can lose everything if you are not careful with what you have”, drawing a line to protect their friendship and the future of the band. The documentary hones in on their partnership, as well as Simple Plan’s early days. In an attempt at getting signed, the band came up with a last-minute show filled with friends and family in order to attract the attention of an Atlantic Records representative, and their efforts paid off. Lefebvre remembers the night that led to the band’s first record deal as if it were yesterday. “You can see in the front row that my sisters are there, my cousins are there, some friends from high school I haven’t seen since. They were all at that show,” he says. The guitarist shares that to this day, he sees people that he studied with attending their hometown shows, the most recent example being at their Pierrefonds-Roxboro show on Canada Day. “That was very full circle for me,” he says.
Simple Plan’s Documentary Reflects on Their Long-Standing Friendships in the Pop-Punk Scene

“To have those bands take us on tours, and to have those bands be willing to speak in a documentary about everything that we’ve been up to for the past 25 years is huge.”

When Simple Plan came onto the scene, there was a cultural shift in the music industry. The band initially struggled to get radio play and were threading the line between embracing pop-punk and still wanting to be on the Warped Tour, a music festival dedicated to alternative rock and punk rock. It took them a leap of faith to accept the offer to open for Avril Lavigne and promote their tunes on MTV and TRL, finally achieving the success they desired. To this day, the band remains close to the Canadian pop-punk princess — with them recently touring together and collaborating on the song “Young & Dumb” — as well as Mark Hoppus, The Offspring, Sum 41, and Good Charlotte. These and other artists are also featured in the film. “To have those bands be willing to speak in a documentary about everything that we’ve been up to for the past 25 years is huge,” Lefebvre says. “I still can’t believe it, like we’ve been touring with The Offspring, we’ve got Mark in there, and he sang on our first album when we were nobodies.” Being in a pop-punk group also gave them the opportunity to write music that was vulnerable. “I guess being a band in that transitional phase was kind of defining for what Simple Plan is,” Bouvier says. Known for their deeply relatable lyrics, particularly on tracks like “Perfect”, “Welcome to My Life”, and “This Song Saved My Life”, fans are continuously drawn to their repertoire because they can connect with the songs on a personal level. “I’m glad that we can be that lifeline for some people and hopefully inspire them or make them realize that they’re not alone, and they can reach out for help,” the vocalist says.

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The Band Achieved TikTok Fame With Their Nostalgic Hit, “I’m Just a Kid”

“There is a lot of downtime on tour for content.”

“I’m Just a Kid” was a song that perfectly encapsulated teenage angst back in the early-2000s, and it continues to resonate with younger fans through TikTok. Although Simple Plan didn’t know that one of their earlier hits would stand the test of time, Lefebvre credits the song’s continued success to its universal message. To him, “I’m Just a Kid” might speak to teenagers, but it holds a whole new meaning for adults listening to it. “I think adults nowadays can identify with that feeling a little bit more, because there are layers and layers of responsibilities,” he says. In order to engage with new fans and those fans who’ve been there since their first album, Simple Plan has also embraced social media and content creation. Bouvier jokingly tells Collider that him and the other three band members are “content creators/band guys” now. Lefebvre shares that when the band is on the road, they dedicate a portion of their downtime to making videos for their social media handles.
“Back in the early 2000s, the way for people to find out about your band was through TV and radio, and maybe you did an interview on a TV show. But now, like we are our own marketing team, and social media is how we reach fans and non-fans.”

Simple Plan Is Releasing a New Single and Hitting the Road With Their Biggest Tour Yet

“I’m very, very glad with what we’ve been releasing recently.”

Image via Prime Video

Although Simple Plan might be behind some of those songs that you grew up listening to, they haven’t hit the brakes when it comes to new music. The band is releasing a brand-new track called “Nothing Changes” on July 11 as part of their documentary’s soundtrack. They are also about to kick off their Bigger Than You Think Tour, which happens to be their first headlining tour in the U.S. in years. Simple Plan has a lot going on, and their latest documentary is just one of the ways they’ve been celebrating the band’s longevity. Although in the past they’d never been big on acknowledging their milestones, they are taking the time to do it now. “25 years as a band, that’s a big anniversary. That’s a big moment. Not every band you know makes it to that,” Comeau says. As someone who has had high hopes for the band since the beginning, the drummer is particularly proud of where the group is at now. He is glad that he listened to the advice of his and Bouvier’s French teacher, who was the one that encouraged them to play together in the first place. For Bouvier, getting to work on the documentary helped him to see how the band has had a resurgence since the pandemic, playing to bigger crowds and riding the wave of the pop-punk comeback. Although the film might have a beginning, middle, and end, Simple Plan’s journey is far from over. “We stopped shooting last fall, but we’re on tour. We’ve been on tour ever since, and we’ve got the whole year mapped out ahead of us,” Lefebre says.